Road tractors are generally used to pull trailers on roads to transport cargo. Aerodynamic apparatuses can be installed on the road tractor and/or on the trailer in order to reduce the aerodynamic air drag and improve fuel efficiency.
Trailer aerodynamic skirts are generally parallelly installed on both longitudinal sides of a trailer to help manage the flow of air around and underneath the trailer. Brackets are affixed to the trailer to secure the aerodynamic skirts positioned thereto. These aerodynamic skirts are secured to the bottom portion of the trailer, or on the sides of the trailer's floor, to ensure proper positioning when the vehicle is moving.
People who are familiar with the trucking industry know that trailers are subject to hazardous road conditions. The aerodynamic skirts, because of their position under the trailer's floor and their proximity with the road, are significantly vulnerable and might easily enter in contact with surrounding obstacles. The brackets holding the aerodynamic skirts, when put under significant stress, plastically bend and/or break to effect the aerodynamic skirts' position in respect to the trailer thus reducing the efficiency of the aerodynamic skirts. Moreover, the aerodynamic skirt itself might bend and/or break if they contact a foreign object. This also increases the operation cost and the maintenance time that is required.
The size of the aerodynamic skirts is substantial and shipping uninstalled aerodynamic skirts for remote installation is cumbersome. Aerodynamic skirts are generally considered by shipping companies to be of non-standard sizes and are too large to fit on a standard shipping pallet. They can be damaged during transport from the factory to the installation garage where the aerodynamic skirts are going to be installed on the vehicle because of their length and their width.
Aerodynamic skirts assembly are sustaining a significant amount of stress when deflecting air in their operating positions on a vehicle. Mechanical stresses and sustained vibrations are challenging the skirt assembly.
Therefore, there exists a need in the art for an improved aerodynamic skirt over the existing art. There is a need in the art for such an aerodynamic skirt assembly that can be easily and economically packaged and shipped. There is also a need in the art for an improved modular aerodynamic skirt assembly that is not jeopardizing the mechanical integrity of the aerodynamic skirt assembly. Moreover, there is also a need for a modular aerodynamic skirt assembly that is appropriately sustaining vibrations caused by the vehicle circulating on the road.